Chronext brought in from the cold as it secures certification for its workshops by Swatch Group

German e-commerce platform Chronext has made a dramatic step towards respectability and acceptance within the global watch industry by securing certification for its workshops by Swatch Group.

The company has been a pariah for the five years since it launched, viewed as a grey market trader of watches being dumped by over-stocked official retailers.

“When we launched five years ago, such certification would have been unthinkable,” says Philipp Man, CEO and founder of Chronext. “The industry is increasingly opening up to online trade and many more joint discussions are taking place with renowned watch manufacturers. Swatch Group certification is one of the biggest milestones in the collaboration between brands and e-commerce companies in the luxury watch industry.”

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The deal with Swatch Group makes Chronext the world’s marketplace for luxury watches worldwide to be fully certified to service and repair pieces from all of the group’s brands including Omega, Longines and Breguet.

“We are particularly proud to be working with the Swatch Group, the world’s largest luxury watch group, and to represent this milestone in the industry,” says Mr Man. “We see ourselves as partners to retailers and manufacturers.”

The Swatch Group manufactures all components for the watches sold under its total of eighteen watch brands. As a certified partner, Chronext now orders all spare parts directly from the brands and is officially named on the brand pages as an approved partner.

To secure certification, Chronext had to work through a meticulous catalogue of laboratory-like standards at organisational, and technical levels.

All watchmakers in the workshop are already certified to work with the Swatch Group brands. Swatch Group-certified devices must also be available, as must a corresponding spare parts warehouse.

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